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Madison Marquardt
=Biography= Who I Am I am Madison Ashlee Marquardt, the daughter of Brent and Angela Marquardt. I am born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma and have been blessed by the few street corners that seperate my house, from the rest of the Marquardt clan. I graduated from Norman North High School but also attended Norman High School my freshman year because of the Marquardt blood that bleeds orange and black that you will later have the change to read about. I am currently a junior at the University of Oklahoma and a member of the Chi Omega sorority. I am majoring in online journalism and finally can see the end of the tunnel; graduation is definitely on my mind. I am a follower of Christ and spend most of my time at Journey Church located on the west-side of Norman. The address is 3801 Journey Pkwy and I encourage all who do not have a church home to come and get loved on by some of the most amazing people I have ever met. I am currently in a relationship with the same boy that I have been dating since 7th grade that attends Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK. We have hopes of starting a church after graduation and traveling across the United States spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in hopes that the lost can feel his unending love. I am blessed with an incredible family that always keeps me on my toes and I wouldn't want it any other way. Enjoy my story. =Marquardt Origin= Where We Came From There have been many throughout my lifetime that have told me that my last name, “is a beautiful French name.” Those comments always made me question whether or not my parents knew what they were talking about when they would tell me that we were German (with a French twist). It was confirmed by my grandfather that we are, surprisingly, from Germany. The name Marquardt was brought over to America by my grandfathers grandfather who was burdened with the name, Adolph. He came over with his wife, Bertha, sometime in the 1800s. Bertha Marquardt was not German, however, she was from Holland and “loved showing me her wooden shoes,” as my Papa Max would say. Adolph and Bertha eventually landed in Canadian County, Oklahoma where they would stay and create a family. Their son, Fritzkarl Marquardt, to my papa Max he was known as Fred or dad, was born on December 8, 1900 and would grow up to marry a wonderful devout Christian woman by the name of Ruby A. Brown. Ruby A. Brown was the daughter of Bert and Anna Brown who made the journey to America from England. Bert and Anna settled in Vernon County, Missouri and moved to Canadian County, Oklahoma in 1907 and started a family of their own. Ruby A. Brown was born on December 2, 1902 and was the eldest of seven children. “She was the boss,” my papa Max says. “She was the leader of the family. My dad liked to believe that he was but she would say jump and he would say how high.” Fred and Ruby Marquardt were united in marriage on July, 27, 1922 in Canadian County, Oklahoma and to this union were born their children. Their oldest child, Lavern Owen Marquardt, was born on February 18, 1923 and took on the nickname of Pete shortly after his birth. Their second child, Gloria Lee Marquardt, was born on September 5, 1925. Their youngest child, Max Merlyn Marquardt, was born on September 8, 1935 and would later become my papa. =Eye of the Tiger= Bleed Orange and Black Max later became the first person in his family to go to college on an athletic scholarship. He played basketball, football, and also ran track. He says he did not care anything about going to school and getting an education - he just wanted to play ball. Max chose to go to Central Oklahoma, which is now known as UCO in Edmond . During his time at Central, he fell in love with a young girl named Jerry Laughlin whom he later married on June 1, 1956. Jerry and Max would both obtain their masters degrees at Central Oklahoma and Max would become one of the most well-known coaches in Oklahoma high school sports. The couple would have three children, Cindy, Brent, and Brad Marquardt. Brent Marquardt, their middle child, would inherent Max’s athletic ability and played under his father during his time at Norman High School. During both Brent and his fathers time at Norman High, they were able to celebrate the integration of African Americans into the Norman Public School system. I have heard many stories about my dad (Brent) and the African American woman (Teresa Ray - now known as Turner) who shared a locker with him. Brent shared Teresa’s love for music and they would bring their boom box out and dance in the hallways together. This is a beautiful portrait to me, of my dad’s heart for people that are of a different race than himself. He also explained how that was the time when sports (in the Norman Public School system) became much more competitive and somewhat unfair (jokingly) because the African Americans were just that much athletically gifted and dominated in every facet of the sports world and still do today. Brent would later go on to be the first McDonald’s All-American basketball player in Oklahoma and played basketball on a scholarship to Oklahoma Christian University also located in Edmond, Oklahoma. Max Marquardt was inducted into the Coaches Hall of Fame after coaching at Norman High School for twenty-five years and is known by the Normanites as one of the most prominent basketball coaches they have had the privilege to meet. =Time is Fleeting= Cherish the Memories Gloria Lee Marquardt or as my papa Max would call her “sis” did not hesitate to start a family and at age 17, as a sophomore in high school, she married Elmer R. Bowers on October 25, 1942. Papa Max, although he was young at the time, still remembers the sound of his dads voice when Gloria finally came home after marrying Bowers and surprised her parents with not only the news of the marriage but also with the news of a baby on the way. Although Fritzkarl Marquardt (Fred) was not happy about the news of his daughter marrying and having a child at such a young age, he and Ruby decided to buy them a house and would bring them groceries from their farm every weekend in order for them to live a decent life. Gloria and Elmer welcomed Kendal Ray Bowers into the world on March 23, 1945. The pressure of having a child and trying to make a living caused Gloria and Elmer to divorce on July of 1946. She remarried Jamie Holzen shortly after. Gloria Marquardt worked at a dentist office in Midwest City, Oklahoma in her later years and came in contact with Mercury which was used for fillings. The Mercury poisoned her body and because doctors were not aware that Mercury was dangerous back then, they could not prescribe her any medication to take away the pain. She finally had enough and ended her own life. =The heart of a Veteran= America the Beautiful Pete Marquardt was the oldest of the bunch (my papa’s brother) and was kindhearted and loved to fix things. He was a veteran and was shipped to Hawaii shortly after Pearl Harbor . Pete loved to fly airplanes but because of his asthma he was unable to get too high up in the air before he had trouble breathing. He also enjoyed driving the tanks but again, because of his asthma he was unable to stay in the tank too long before inhaling too much dust which caused him to have trouble breathing. So, because of all of these barriers, Pete was forced to go into the caves where the Japanese fighters were placed after they were killed and his job was to set everything leftover from the attack on fire. My papa Max has memories of Pete sending him post cards from Hawaii with him and some other soldiers floating on the tires from the tanks in the ocean. “I questioned what the heck I was doing here when he would send me those post cards,” he says. Pete Marquardt found the love of his life in Bonnie Bill Bright and they were united in marriage on December 8, 1943 in El Reno, Oklahoma. Pete and Bonnie had their first child whom they named, Larry Wayne Marquardt, on July 4, 1945. Larry Wayne suffered from a severe case of seizures and although they were able to be regulated to about one seizure a month at age three Larry Wayne had a seizure while in his crib sleeping one evening and went to be with the Lord in Heaven. Pete and Bonnie did not want to ever try to have another child after that and enjoyed time together until the Lord called Pete Marquardt home not too many years ago. Bonnie still resides in El Reno, Oklahoma until this day. =The Marquardt Legacy= Have a Little Faith My family’s ancestry is one of small towns, farms, veterans, and basketball. It is not one filled with scholars or prestiges individuals who have made a difference in the world at large. My family does not come from a lot but it is evident in the way that my papa Max talks about his family (my family) that we cherish what we are given and realize that it is not from our hands that we are blessed but from the Lord’s. I believe that my legacy is one of hard work and love for ones country. It is a legacy that stands on the community and making a difference in someones life even if it goes unnoticed by the masses. The Marquardt legacy is one of faith, sweat, and a few tears. Most of all it is a family that sticks together and cherishes each other. In reality, Ancestry is about family roots and heritage. In the end, family and faith is all we have. It is who you are and what genes you are made of. The Marquardt legacy is not dolled up nor does it care to be. =Summary= I am who I am because.... http://www.familyecho.com/?p=LZUPB&c=lfyr18m2es&f=988115337696058367 I have been blessed with an amazing family. I have a mother and father who love me unconditionally but believe whole-heartedly in "tough love." I will always remember the hour-long conversations that my parents would have for me after basketball games in high school. I would come home and go straigh the sit on the stairs because I knew what was coming. It would not only be discussions about basketball, but about life. I have learned so much from my parents about life through the doors that conversations about basketball have opened. I have parents that expect the very best and push me to go above and beyond what I thought I could do. I have also been in a serious relationship with the same boy since 7th grade. Because of this, I have had to go through many hours of conversations about life and love and expectations as well. This boy, although the struggles have shaped us into what we are now, was not always the mature, loving man that he is today. He put my heart through a lot throughout our years together and because of that, I was able to learn what my parents thought about love and have had many moments where they shared more than I ever wanted to hear. It was not always easy, but it was all definitely worth it. The boy that I chose to give my heart to is Native American and that is pushing the boundaries in my parents eyes. If his skin were a shade darker, I am not sure what my parents would think about me being with him. They are extremely traditional. I believe my parents are amazing parents and have done an incredible job raising myself and my siblings but there are many things that they have chosen to do, say, believe in that I have vowed not do. I will take the good, which the majority of it is good, and I will also remember the bad and try to do better as a parent, as a mentor, and as a friend. I am who I am today, because of the expereinces The Lord had predestined for me. I am eternally grateful for the family that I have - good, bad, or ugly - because I know that I am a better person today because of them. Category:Students